Work at SAIL mine in Odisha still stopped

The Odisha government continued to halt operations at a key iron ore mine of the public sector Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) in the state as it has not received necessary environmental clearances, officials said Wednesday.The state stopped the operations at the iron ore mine at Bolani in Keonjhar district since a three months temporary working permit it granted to the company expired Feb 11.

“We have not received any further instruction from the authority. SAIL has to obtain permission from the central environment and forests department,” a senior official of the state steel and mines department told IANS.

“Mining will be allowed only after they obtain the forest clearances,” he added.

SAIL has a mining lease area measuring 1,321.45 hectares in Bolani near the border with Jharkhand. The mine has been operating since 1960 to supply iron ore to its Durgapur Steel Plant in West Bengal.

The mine is considered as one of the largest mines of SAIL.

SAIL had to obtain various clearances from time to time to continue its operations. Somehow only forest clearance was delayed, a SAIL official had told IANS.